World Cup 2006 Germany - Review & History
The FIFA World Cup ended up in Italian hands in 2006 after an Azzurri triumph that owed everything to teamwork. The abiding memory of the Final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium may be of Zinedine Zidane's meltdown, the France veteran earning an red card for headbutting Marco Materazzi, but there was much to admire about the Italian effort that earned them a fourth world crown. Led by coach Marcello Lippi, who had enjoyed great success with Juventus, and seemingly galvanised by the match-fixing scandal unfolding back at home, the Italians' quality was enhanced by an obvious camaraderie. Twenty-one of their 23-man squad played and ten of them found the net at these finals. It was the Grosso's goal that swung a superb semi-final against Germany the Italians' way and his spot-kick that sealed victory in the Final shoot-out after a 1-1 draw. Remarkably, it was the Azzurri's first victory on penalties, laying to rest the ghosts of three past failures on the world stage, notably in the 1994 final.
But this FIFA World Cup was not simply an Italian success story. Jurgen Klinsmann's young Germany side took third place on the back of an attractive brand of high-tempo, attacking football. The hosts finished as top scorers with 14 goals, five of them from adidas Golden Shoe winner Miroslav Klose and three from Lukas Podolski, the Gillette Best Young Player.
The month of football in Germany captivated not just the 3,359,439 spectators attending matches in the 12 magnificent stadiums (and Fan Fest millions) but also an estimated worldwide audience of more than 30 billion people. All looked on as a cast list incorporating 32 teams from Angola to the USA conspired to excite, enthral and occasionally exasperate during a 64-match, 147-goal marathon.
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World Cup 2006 results (Held in Germany)
FINAL - Olympic Stadium, Berlin
Italy 1-1 France (Italy won 5-3 on penalties)
TOP SCORER World Cup 2006
Miroslav Klose (Germany) 5
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